An alternative view of Iran

Photographer Hossein Fatemi will show you what is hidden from the eyes of Big Brother, what young Iranians are doing behind the closed doors of their homes and clubs.

For more than 20 years, news and photos from Iran have been pretty monotonous: women in burqas, public executions, demonstrations with burning flags and rumors about nuclear weapons. However, the reality of everyday life in this ancient country is much more complex and diverse.

1. A woman during the Chehel Manbar ceremony, which takes place in front of Ashura in Khorramabad. Traditionally, Iranian women walk barefoot, lighting 40 candles in certain places in the city center. The ceremony starts early in the morning and lasts all day.

2. A naked woman on a bed in her house. She is forced to work as a prostitute to feed her two children.

3. Women in a beauty salon where men have no right to enter. Working in a salon for men is also, of course, prohibited.

4. Tipsy girls enjoy the party. Although unrelated men and women are forbidden to communicate and relax together, many ignore this law in their homes.

5. Rock band at a private concert.

6. Girls in the gym, where only women train.

7. Girls play billiards in the recreation hall for men, where girls are strictly forbidden to enter.

8. Girls smoke hookah, which was forbidden to do in public places.

9. Rock music is forbidden, so these guys rehearse at their own risk in a secret place.

10. Girls smoke on the balcony. At home, they can wear T-shirts with impunity and not cover their heads.

11. A guy plays guitar in a park in Shiraz.

12. A saleswoman and a customer are looking at a catalog of underwear while another client is trying on a bra.

13. Eilya - an artist - drinks and smokes in his house.

14. Two girls after a party at a friend's house.

15. Parkour driver.

16. View of Tehran from the Milad Tower.

17. Sherwin is in his room with his dog. According to Islamic law, a dog is considered a dirty animal, so residents of Iran cannot keep dogs. Most Iranian dog owners keep their pets in four walls, because the police have the right to confiscate dogs if their owners walk them.

18. Iranian model Sahar poses for a photographer.

19. A couple reads the Koran at a religious ceremony in memory of the death of Imam Ali at a cemetery in the suburbs of Tehran.